A clean-up operation is under way in Letterkenny General Hospital today where the new €20 million emergency department was flooded yesterday.

The unit had to be evacuated after up to a metre of water gushed through its doors yesterday evening following an hour-long downpour that caused a stream behind the building to overflow. Patients have been re-located within the hospital.

Fire crews brought sandbags into the hospital on trolleys, while off-duty hospital staff rushed back to the hospital to save patient files which became water-logged.

Video: Flooding in Letterkenny General Hospital

The hospital is currently closed to visitors.

All emergency patients are being referred to Sligo. Sligo Regional Hospital and Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.

Donegal North East Sinn Féin TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn called for answers from the HSE after the incident.

“This flooding follows news that due to staffing shortages, the A&E Department was struggling to cope with patient numbers,” he said. “I will be demanding answers from the HSE on why lessons from the previous flooding were not learned? Why were the necessary flood defences not erected? How could such a costly project not have mitigated against any threat from flooding at planning stage?”

Meanwhile, a number of graves were damaged when a wall collapsed causing a huge deluge of water to sweep into Conwal Graveward in Co Donegal.